Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Stew

Since it is so cold here, I have been having major soup cravings lately.  I was also really yearning for some kale, so I put together this tasty soup.  I love kale because it is so sturdy in soups and doesn't become slimy like spinach sometimes can.  It has an excellent texture.  Trust me, kale isn't just for garnishing plates at "fancy" restaurants!

This soup takes a little bit of advanced planning because you have to remember to soak the beans (which is worth it, by the way).  There are some quick soak methods you can use if you forget!

Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Stew

Adapted From The Best Slow and Easy Recipes

Ingredients

1 pound dried great northern beans, rinsed, picked over and soaked*

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 ounces bacon, cut in 1/4" pieces

1 - 1 1/2 lbs sweet or spicy Italian turkey sausage, casing removed

1 large onion, minced

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2" pieces

8 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

2 bay leaves

1 bunch kale, stems trimmed and leaves chopped

1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed

1 sprig fresh rosemary, or dried rosemary secured in a cheesecloth

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Adjust the oven racks so it will fit your soup pot and heat the oven to 250 degrees.  Drain the beans, discard the soaking liquid and rinse.

Over medium heat, heat the oil in a large soup or stock pot and add the bacon.  Cook until bacon is crisp.  Remove the bacon.  Add the sausage and cook until no longer pink.  Remove the sausage and place in the refrigerator.  Stir in the bacon, onions, celery and carrots and cook until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, stirring occasionally (10-16 minutes). 

Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the broth, water, bay leaves, rosemary and soaked beans and bring to a simmer.  Cover, place pot in the oven and cook until the beans are almost tender, 45-60 minutes.

Stir in the kale, sausage, and tomatoes and continue to cook, covered, until beans and greens are fully tender, 30 - 40 minutes longer.

Remove the stew from the oven (be careful to continually use protection on the pot until it cools completely since the entire thing is oven hot) and remove the bay leaves and rosemary.  Taste and season the stew with salt and pepper.  If desired smash some of the beans with a potato masher or the back of a spoon to thicken the soup.  Serve with a green salad and garlic bread.

*To soak beans - pick through and rinse the beans.  For every pound of beans, dissolve 2 tablespoons salt into 4 quarts water (or 1 1/2 teaspoons salt for every 4 cups of water used to soak the beans - 4 quarts of water to soak one pound of beans seemed like a lot to me).  Combine the beans and salt water in a large container at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.  Make sure the beans stay covered with water throughout the soaking.  If they start to show above the water, add more salt water solution to cover them completely.

Daring Bakers' Challenge: Homemade Graham Crackers and Nanaimo Bars!

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

This month's Daring Baker's challenge was a rather exciting one for me.  I have always wanted to make Nanaimo bars since I first tasted them.  They are deliciously decadent and beautiful to behold.  My first Nanaimo bar was made by my good friend Kelly.  She won the blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair for her Nanaimo bar recipe and brought some in to work to share.  From first bite, I was in love!  She gave out the recipe happily, since all recipes submitted to the fair become public anyway.

That was almost 2 years ago and I never got around to making them until now!  The recipe I posted below is an adaptation of Kelly's recipe and the Daring Baker's recipe.  The two were very similar so I figured it would be okay to take parts from each.  This challenge was especially fun because we got to make our own graham crackers!  This recipe is also posted below.

I am very interested in gluten-free foods, especially since my best friend was just diagnosed as being gluten intolerant.  When I made her wedding cake, I made her a special gluten free red velvet cake and she loved it.  Unfortunately, she has gone back to California since her wedding and I don't have anyone that requires gluten free foods to bake for right now.  Being in grad school makes for a tight budget so I had to use what I had on hand to make these graham crackers.  Sadly, they are not gluten free, but next time I see her, I may splurge and make them for her.

What I loved about the graham crackers was the amount of vanilla, a whopping 2 tablespoons.  This seemed to give the grahams a nice, deep vanilla flavor.  I am interested in seeing what they would have been like using a portion of graham flour, but again, I had to avoid buying special flours for this recipe due to cost.  Making these grahams was pretty easy, though the dough was a bit sticky.  The recipe made a lot and they kept very well in a sealed plastic bag.

Making Nanaimo bars isn't exactly hard, but it isn't exactly easy either...

(broken base, ew...)

My first attempt at making the base, which I thought seemed fairly simple, was a bit of a disaster.  The emulsion broke and I was left with a greasy gross mess.  I had to do it all over again. 

(the correct base consistency, yay!)

The second time around went much better because I tempered the eggs with the hot chocolate mixture first and I did everything off the heat.  Even though I was working over a double boiler, things still got too hot the first time around.  So, watch the base carefully! 

I added all the delicious bits (coconut, nuts and grahams) to the chocolate mixture and pressed it into the bottom of a 9x9.  The mixture seemed a little greasy, so I blotted the top with a paper towel.

The filling and the chocolate topping were very easy to make.  It is important to chill the bars well before you do the final cutting.  However, one very important tip my friend Kelly included in her recipe was to partially cut the bars while the chocolate on top was partially set (not hard, but no longer liquid).  This avoided the problem of the chocolate cracking when cutting the bars, making a much prettier and cleaner looking bar.

Thanks for the fun and exciting challenge Lauren!

Nanaimo Bars 

Adapted from recipes found at Celiac Teen and a recipe by Kelly McCaulley

Bottom Layer

7 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4  cup cocoa powder

1 egg beaten

1 1/2 cups homemade graham cracker crumbs, or Gluten-free graham cracker crumbs, if making these gluten-free

1 cup shredded coconut, toasted

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted, finely chopped

Middle Layer

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons vanilla pudding mix

2 cups powdered sugar 

Top Layer

1 cup finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon of melted white chocolate or milk chocolate (optional) 

Assembly:

Line a 9 x 9 inch square pan with parchment paper or foil. 

Bottom Layer:  In a double boiler, melt 7 tablespoons butter, sugar, and cocoa.  Whisk the egg in a small bowl.  Remove the melted chocolate/butter mixture from heat and pour some (about 1/3) of the warm chocolate/butter mixture into the bowl with the egg, slowly, stirring constantly.  Pour the egg/chocolate mixture back into the bowl of melted chocolate and fold with a spatula until thick.  If it does not thicken, place back over the double boiler briefly and fold until it thickens.  Then remove at once from heat.  Fold in the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and pecans.  Press into a 9 X 9-inch pan.  Put in refrigerator while you prepare the next layer. 

Middle Layer:  Cream together 1/2 cup butter, cream and pudding mix.  Fold in the powdered sugar.  Beat until very light.  Spread on top of the cooled cookie crust.  Put in refrigerator again for an hour or so, until middle layer is firm. 

Top Layer:  In a double boiler, melt the butter.  When butter is melted, pour in the chocolate.  Stir chocolate until melted 2/3 of the way.  Remove from double boiler and continue to stir until melted.  The chocolate may melt the middle layer if it’s too hot, so you might want to let it cool for a little bit.  Pour onto second layer and spread evenly.  Drizzle with melted white or milk chocolate, if desired.  Let set in the refrigerator until the chocolate is no longer fluid, but not hard set.  Cut through the chocolate and cream layers to "score" the bars.  This will keep the chocolate from cracking when you cut the bars for serving.  Refrigerate for 2 more hours.   Remove the bars from the pan by lifting out with the foil or parchment.  Cut into rectangles and enjoy.  These keep well, refrigerated, for at least 2 weeks.

Makes 32 1" x 1 1/2" bars.

For Gluten-Free Graham Wafers

If making them gluten-free, no wheat, barley, rye, triticale, kamut, spelt, durum, semolina, or other gluten containing ingredients may be used. Removing those ingredients ensures it is safe for those with Celiac Disease and other health issues where gluten causes problems. If you do plan on serving this to someone on a gluten-free diet, also ensure no cross-contamination occurs.

If making the graham crackers with wheat, replace the gluten-free flours (tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, and sorghum flour) with 2 ½ cups plus 2 tbsp of all-purpose wheat flour, or wheat pastry flour. Watch the wheat-based graham wafers very closely in the oven, as they bake faster than the gluten-free ones, sometimes only 12 minutes.

Ingredients
1 cup (138 g) (4.9 ounces) Sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour)
3/4 cup (100 g) (3.5 ounces) Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/2 cup (65 g) (2.3 ounces) Sorghum Flour
1 cup (200 g) (7.1 ounces) Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly packed
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4 mL ) Kosher Salt
7 tablespoons (100 g) (3 ½ ounces) Unsalted Butter (Cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)
1/3 cup (80 mL) Honey, Mild-flavoured such as clover.
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Whole Milk
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. If making by hand, combine aforementioned dry ingredients with a whisk, then cut in butter until you have a coarse meal. No chunks of butter should be visible.
2. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.
3. Turn the dough onto a surface well-floured with sweet rice flour and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Divide the dough in 1/2, wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.
4. Working with one ball of dough at a time, sift an even layer of sweet rice flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be quite sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place wafers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.
5. Adjust the rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
6. Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more sweet rice flour and roll out the dough to get a couple more wafers.
7. Prick the wafers with toothpick or fork, not all the way through, in two or more rows.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Might take less, and the starting location of each sheet may determine its required time. The ones that started on the bottom browned faster.
9. When cooled completely, place enough wafers in food processor to make 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) of crumbs. Another way to do this is to place in a large ziplock bag, force all air out and smash with a rolling pin until wafers are crumbs.

Breakfast Pizza!

There are a lot of causes to support and ways to volunteer in our society today.  As a teacher, I think children are one of our greatest assets and we need to do all we can to encourage them to do well and find success.  This is one reason why I have decided to become a "Big Sister" through the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (Iowa division).  Big Brothers Big Sisters is one of the oldest and most successful mentoring programs.  BBBS serves many children throughout the United States in addition to children in twelve other countries. 

I was led to the program through several avenues.  First, my husband received an email from one of his supervisors that a new BBBS branch was opening in our town.  This interested me and I started considering volunteering.  Next, I took a class that required service learning and I decided that this would be my project, since it was something I had been wanting to do anyway.  My project only required 48 hours of service, but I decided I wanted something a little more long term and something that had a chance to develop relationships and make a long term impact.  To be a Big Brother or Big Sister, it requires at least a year commitment.

After the process of interviewing and being matched, I met my Little Sister.  She is a joy to be around and has an exuberance for life.  She and I share a love and interest in food.  So, this is the first meal we made together.  We made everything from scratch and it was a lot of fun, in addition to being very tasty.

It is a wonderful experience being a "Big Sister" and there are a lot of children out there that could really benefit from the experience of being mentored.  There is especially a need for more "Big Brothers".  Check out the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America website and consider giving some of your time to mentor a child.

Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients

1 recipe Pizza dough (use your favorite or see recipe below)

1 medium potato, shredded, rinsed and drained

2-3 slices ham (about 4 ounces), chopped

3-4 slices bacon, chopped

1-2 cups cheese, your choice (we used a combination of Monterey jack, Parmesan, extra sharp cheddar and Provolone)

4 eggs

salt, pepper, thyme

1 teaspoon olive oil

Tabasco, to taste or on the side

Directions

Prepare the pizza dough according to directions.  While the dough is rising, prepare the toppings.  Also, don't forget to preheat the oven to 475 degrees!

Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon until crisp.  Drain on paper towels.  Cook the chopped ham in the same skillet, after draining out the bacon fat.  Place with the bacon.  Try not to nibble at the bacon and ham too much while making the rest of the toppings!

Prepare the potato as directed.  Microwave on high for two minutes, let cool.  Shred the cheese.  Prepare the eggs: Crack 4 eggs in a dish and whisk until combined.  Add freshly ground pepper, salt and thyme.  Cook the eggs over medium-low heat, pushing them with a spatula to scramble.  Set aside. 

When the pizza dough is ready, grease the pizza pan and spread/pat the dough in the pizza pan, or form on a pizza stone.  If you are having trouble getting your dough to stretch to the pan, leave it alone for a couple of minutes.  When you come back the dough will be ready for more stretching.  Once the dough is shaped, spread the teaspoon of olive oil evenly over the dough (this keeps the toppings from making the crust soggy).  Layer the toppings on the pizza, saving a bit of bacon and ham to sprinkle on top. 

Bake in a 475 degree oven for 12-15 minutes until crust is golden brown and the toppings are bubbling and the cheese is melted.  Remove from the pan and cut into twelve portions, serve!

Pizza dough

Makes enough dough for 2 twelve inch pizzas

Adapted from The Joy of Cooking

Ingredients

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant (quick rise) yeast

1 1/3 cups warm water (105 - 110 degrees)

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

Combine the water and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer or a large mixing bowl and let stand until the yeast is dissolved.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix by hand for 1 minute or mix on low speed with the dough hook in a standing mixer.  Knead the dough (by hand or in the mixer) for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Transfer the dough to a large bowl lightly coated with olive oil, cover and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 - 40 minutes.

Punch down the dough and divide it in half.  If you aren't making two pizzas, you can store the dough in a covered container in the fridge.  Proceed with the pizza dough as stated in the recipe. 

Crepes!

A friend of ours brought a Banana-Nutella dessert pizza to our Italian dinner on New Year's Eve.  It was very popular, especially with my poor husband who had to enjoy all the Italian delights upstairs in bed due to being sick.  This pizza sparked a craving for one of his favorite desserts, Banana-Nutella crepes.  Ever happy to please people by making their favorite foods, I obliged him and prepared them for dinner earlier this week. 

Banana-Nutella crepes are fairly simple.  All it takes is a jar of Nutella, a thinly sliced banana or two, and crepes.  Smear some Nutella down the middle of the crepe, put some sliced banana on top and roll it up!  Voila! Banana-Nutella crepes!

The crepes are what are scary for some people.  Really, once you get the hang of flipping them over, it goes quite quickly and is pretty easy.  If you can make pancakes, you can make crepes.  You still have to watch the temperature of the pan like you do with pancakes, but they cook much more quickly (obviously, since they are so thin) and it is easier to tell when they are ready to flip.

I felt weird making these for dinner because to me, the addition of Nutella fits them firmly in the dessert category.  Now, I have no issue with having dessert for a meal, but I just wasn't sure these were going to be substantial enough for a meal. So, I threw together a couple of savory crepes as well, even though my batter was for sweet crepes.  It didn't matter, they still tasted great.  I filled the savory crepes with double smoked deli ham, fresh thyme, and parmesan and provolone cheeses. 

I prefer the crepe recipe in Joy of Cooking.  It is simple, clean and makes a good amount of crepes.  They recommend letting the batter sit for 30 minutes (or it can store for longer (~ 2 days) in the fridge) to let the gluten relax.  I usually do this, but I have seen recipes for crepes that skip this step, so you can try it if you like.  Or you can make your crepe batter and then prepare all your crepe fillings.  Joy of Cooking also recommends putting a piece of waxed paper between each finished crepe as you make them. I have done this before and it uses an unnecessary amount of waxed paper.  This time around I just stacked them on top of each other and they did not stick to each other.  I also think buttering the pan between each crepe helped with this, so don't skip that step!

Sweet Crepes

Adapted From The Joy of Cooking

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup water

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

Directions

Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth (I like to use the blender because it is easy to pour the batter out of it).  Cover and let stand for 30 minutes or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Using a non-stick skillet over medium heat, coat the bottom of the skillet with a little butter.  Stir the batter and pour about 2 tablespoons in the pan, lifting the pan off the heat and tilting it to swirl the batter so it forms a thin, even layer.  Cook until the top is set and the underside is golden (about 1 - 2 minutes, depending on your pan, the temperature and crepe thickness). 

Turn the crepe over.  To do this, carefully loosen the edge with a thin bladed spatula, then using your fingers, pick up the crepe and flip it over.  Cook until that side is light golden brown, 30 sec - 1 min.  Remove the crepe to a warm plate while you cook the rest of the crepes.  Be sure to butter the pan between each crepe.  

Fill each crepe with your choice of filling, or let cool, wrap well and freeze up to 1 month. 

Chipotle Pork Stew-Soup

This recipe comes together quickly and is a great way to use up leftover pork.  I served this to my excellent friends that helped build my compost bin in October, which is still getting full use, even in the frigid January temperatures. 

I actually intended to add roasted red peppers to this soup.  I even went so far as to roast the red peppers, peel them and slice them.  In all the compost bin building excitement, I forgot to add them to the soup when the time came.  So, feel free to add some roasted red peppers to your soup.  I'm sure it would be delicious.

Now as for whether this is a stew or a soup, I will leave that up to you.  I am not going to combine the two words to make a silly new name for this.  Call it what you will, but it is definitely tasty.

Chipotle Pork Stew-Soup

Ingredients

2 onions, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp thyme

1-2 springs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and chopped

1 cup butternut squash or sweet potato, cubed

2 medium yellow potatoes, cubed

1 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced (seed for less spice, or add more for additional spice)

1-2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from canned chipotles)

1 can golden hominy, rinsed

1- 16oz bag of frozen sweet corn

2 cups shredded/cubed cooked pork shoulder

6 cups pork or chicken broth

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Garnish with: Sliced avocados, sour cream, sliced limes for squeezing

Directions

Sauté the onions in the olive oil until soft and golden.  Add the garlic, chipotle, rosemary and thyme and cook for 1-2 minutes more.  Add the broth and adobo sauce.  Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.  Add the squash/sweet potatoes and potatoes.  Cover and cook until they are almost tender, about 15 minutes (it will depend on the size of your chunks).  Add the pork, hominy and corn and cook until heated through, another 5-7 minutes.  Check the potatoes and squash/sweet potatoes to make sure they are cooked through.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  Serve with any or all of the garnishes listed above.